I liked how the boys' imaginations came through in this story. ( )

Jones, Tim Wynne. The Boat in the Tree. Illus. John Shelley. Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2007.
Type: Picture Book/Fiction
Annotation:
On the day his parents adopt another child, their oldest little boy decides to build a boat. Of course the boat is only for play but the boy begins dreaming of sailing away with his own fleet of ships. He finds an old row-boat but cannot repair it to seaworthy condition. His parents tell him he will simply have to wait until he is older but they boy proclaims his wish to leave home because of his newly adopted younger brother. After a terrific storm the boy finds a new boat in the top of a tree. The adopted boy helps his brother pull the boat down and in doing so a friendship begins to develop. The both then lets his little brother accompany him in the new boat and they set out together for adventure.
Review:
Recommendation
I would recommend this book for early elementary age children. The book is short with very little text. The artwork helps to tell much of the story. Adults play a very small role in the story so the focus remains on the boy and his adopted brother. Early elementary age children enjoy stories in which children like themselves are the featured characters.
Use
This book would be best used in a read-aloud with a small group of children. This way everyone could focus on the detail of the pictures. This book could also be used to spark discussion on children’s’ travel fantasies. Children could give examples of where they might travel if they had their own boat. On an individual basis, I might suggest this book to children who have an adopted brother or sister or had recently been adopted themselves.
Artwork
The artwork in this book is very detailed. It is appropriate for early elementary children because at this age they could most appreciate the level of detail. On the pages of the book in which a huge storm hits, many different objects are picked up the wind and waves; a boot, a cat, a dust-broom, a frog, and many more. This could be a fun activity for children to point out and name the different objects they can find in the pictures. The artwork is quite intricate and is the main feature of the story.